It’s hard to understate the level of experience that winemaker Mike Januik brings to bear at Januik Winery and Novelty Hill Wines. One off-handed comment on a recent visit sums it up perfectly.

Januik was in the midst of blending trials on the day of my visit. When asked how it was going he said simply, “Well, I’ve been doing this for twenty-seven years.” Far from a boast it was rather a simple statement of fact.

Of course, working such a long period of time is in and of itself not an accomplishment as much as a testament to longevity. However, few in the Washington wine industry can claim the extraordinary level of success that has followed Mike Januik throughout his career.

Januik first became interested in wine as an undergraduate in college. However, he didn’t get to drink very much wine at the time. “I never had any money!” he says with a trademark chuckle. Like many, Januik started off as a home winemaker. Looking back at it now he says, “I made some pretty disgusting stuff, but you have to start somewhere.”

Start somewhere he did, initially working as a backcountry ranger at Diamond Peak and the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. When his wife finished school, the couple moved to Ashland, Oregon and subsequently opened a deli and wine store. When his wife went back to school Januik decided to do the same, setting his sites on UC Davis.

Januik attributes his admission to the prestigious Davis enology and viticulture program as a “testament to being persistent.” He called the school continuously, both expressing his interest and inquiring about his application. Five people were admitted that year. One of them was Mike Januik. “I think the guy said, ‘If I don’t let this guy Januik in he’s going to hound me forever!’” Januik says.

Upon graduating he started working at the now defunct Stewart Vineyards. Of his first winemaking job Januik says, “We talked maybe about ten minutes, and the guy said, ‘You seem okay. You want a job?’ I really had no idea what I was doing.” Perhaps true but more likely is that Januik was then and remains now an extremely modest, down to earth person.

After working at Stewart, Januik went on to work at Langguth (also now defunct) and then Snoqualmie. Snoqualmie was then, and remains now, large by Washington standards, producing about 150,000 cases at the time. However, this would be just a small fraction of what he would go on to produce at Chateau Ste. Michelle.

Januik describes working as head winemaker at Ste. Michelle as a dream job. After ten years though, he decided to strike out and start his own winery. While he says the decision to leave was difficult, his wife was supportive. “She said, ‘When I first met you I never thought you’d have a job this long anywhere!’” Januik says with a chuckle.

Januik started out in 1999 crushing fruit at Waterbrook, where he made his first wines for his winery. That same year he also began consulting for Tom Alberg and Judi Beck on vineyard plantings at Stillwater Creek Vineyard - Novelty Hill's estate vineyard. Januik made Novelty Hill’s first wines a year later and has continued to do so in the ensuing years.

For the first few years after he left Chateau Ste. Michelle, Januik continued to consult for the winery. “I think they thought I was going to end up in the poor house!” Januik says. The Januik/Novelty Hill facility was built in 2007, a stone’s throw from Chateau Ste. Michelle.

From the outside the building is austere, almost imposing. Inside it is spacious, beautiful, and above all highly functional. Januik was intimately involved in the design of the facility and the countless small details that facilitate top quality winemaking.

The facility is controlled by a computerized system that provides a graphical display of each of the winery rooms as well as each fermentation tank. Someone is automatically contacted if any of temperatures get above an acceptable level. Januik can check and adjust temperatures on-line from anywhere in the world. Each room also has its own CO2 sensor that pulls air in when need be to prevent mold from forming.

In addition to state-of-the-art winemaking equipment, the facility has a full kitchen and event staff, hosting about 50 weddings each year as well as numerous other events and functions.

The two wineries together make about 25,000 cases with one third of that Januik and two-thirds Novelty Hill. Remarkably, there are over 25 wines across the two wineries. While some might find this level of production and diversity intimidating, Januik enjoys working at scale. “Some people are better suited for making small amounts of wine. I like putting pieces of the puzzle together,” he says.

The results at both Januik and Novelty Hill speak for themselves. Januik has had more than a dozen wines featured in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 lists over the years, and the two wineries have built devoted followings. Of course, to coin a sports phrase, you’re only as good as your last vintage. The current releases below, however, only continue to build on Mike Januik’s long career of excellence.

Mike is one of the most talented winemakers in the country, and as modest as they come. Nice profile piece, but I think his 1999 and 2000 wines were done at Three Rivers, not Waterbrook. Or maybe not...